U.S. patent application number 13/747616 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-15 for abdominal exercise device.
The applicant listed for this patent is Jui-Ching HUANG. Invention is credited to Jui-Ching HUANG.
Application Number | 20140135188 13/747616 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50682274 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140135188 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HUANG; Jui-Ching |
May 15, 2014 |
ABDOMINAL EXERCISE DEVICE
Abstract
An abdominal exercise device has a kneeling pad and a roller.
The kneeling pad includes a top surface and two spaced apart
kneeling recesses. The kneeling recesses are formed in the top
surface of the kneeling pad. The roller is positioned movably
relative to the kneeling pad when in use and includes a bracket, a
left handle, a right handle, a front wheel and two rear wheels. The
left and right handles are attached to a middle of the bracket. The
front wheel is mounted on a front of the bracket. The rear wheels
are mounted on a rear of the bracket. The kneeling recesses are
ergonomically designed to correspond to contours of the human
knees, thereby providing a comfortable support for a user's knees.
The three wheels ensure that the roller has good balanced
performance such that the user can steadily operate the roller.
Inventors: |
HUANG; Jui-Ching; (Hsinchu
City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HUANG; Jui-Ching |
Hsinchu City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
50682274 |
Appl. No.: |
13/747616 |
Filed: |
January 23, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/132 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 21/4033 20151001;
A63B 21/4045 20151001; A63B 2208/0295 20130101; A63B 23/0211
20130101; A63B 22/20 20130101; A63B 21/4035 20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/132 |
International
Class: |
A63B 22/20 20060101
A63B022/20 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 9, 2012 |
TW |
101221713 |
Dec 3, 2012 |
TW |
101223356 |
Claims
1. An abdominal exercise device comprising: a kneeling pad
including: a top surface; and two spaced apart kneeling recesses
formed in the top surface of the kneeling pad; and a roller for
being movably positioned relative to the kneeling pad when in use,
the roller including: a bracket; a left handle and a right handle,
the handles attached to a middle of the bracket; a front wheel
rotatably mounted on a front of the bracket; and two rear wheels
rotatably mounted on a rear of the bracket.
2. A kneeling pad for an abdominal exercise device comprising a top
surface and two spaced apart kneeling recesses formed in the top
surface.
3. The kneeling pad as claimed in claim 2 comprising a plurality of
decorative projections extending from portions of the top surface
in which the kneeling recesses are not formed.
4. A roller for an abdominal exercise device comprising: a bracket;
a left and a right handle, the handles attached to a middle of the
bracket; a front wheel rotatably mounted on a front of the bracket;
and two rear wheels rotatably mounted on a rear of the bracket.
5. The roller as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bracket includes
two spaced apart mounting pieces, and each mounting piece having: a
top; a front portion having a front hole therein; and a rear
portion having a rear hole therein; and a connecting piece having
two sides connected to the tops of the two mounting pieces; the
front wheel includes a shaft hole, and a front shaft sequentially
extends through the front hole in one of the mounting pieces, the
shaft hole in the front wheel and the front hole in the other
mounting piece; and each rear wheel includes a shaft hole, and a
rear shaft sequentially extends through the shaft hole in one of
the rear wheels, the rear hole in one of the mounting pieces, the
rear hole in the other mounting piece and the shaft hole in the
other rear wheel.
6. The roller as claimed in claim 5, wherein the front shaft has
two threaded holes at its opposite ends, two front screws are
threaded into the threaded holes in the front shaft respectively,
and each front screw has a head to press against an outer surface
of the mounting piece; and the rear shaft has two threaded holes at
its opposite ends, two rear screws are threaded into the threaded
holes in the rear shaft respectively, and each rear screw has a
head to press against an outer surface of the rear wheel.
7. The roller as claimed in claim 6, wherein the bracket includes a
left bolt and a right bolt, the bolts extending leftward and
rightward from middle portions of the mounting pieces respectively;
and each of the left and right handles includes a threaded hole,
the threaded hole in the left handle is screwed onto the left bolt
of the bracket, and the threaded hole in the right handle is
screwed onto the right bolt of the bracket.
8. The roller as claimed in claim 7, wherein the left bolt of the
bracket is left-threaded, and the right bolt of the bracket is
right-threaded; and the threaded hole in the left handle is a
left-threaded hole, the threaded hole in the right handle is a
right-threaded hole, the left-threaded hole in the left handle is
screwed onto the left-threaded left bolt of the bracket, and the
right-threaded hole in the right handle is screwed onto the
right-threaded right bolt of the bracket.
9. The roller as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the left and
right handles includes a rod through which the threaded hole
extends; and a protective sleeve mounted on the rod.
10. The roller as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a weight
block mounted on the rear of the bracket.
11. The roller as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a weight
block mounted on the rear of the bracket.
12. The roller as claimed in claim 7 further comprising a weight
block mounted on the rear of the bracket.
13. The roller as claimed in claim 8 further comprising a weight
block mounted on the rear of the bracket.
14. The roller as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a weight
block mounted on the rear of the bracket.
15. The roller as claimed in claim 12, wherein the weight block
includes an axial hole therethrough, and the rear shaft extending
through the shaft hole in one of the rear wheels and the rear hole
in one of the mounting pieces then extends through the axial hole
of the weight block and further extends through the rear hole in
the other mounting piece and the shaft hole in the other rear
wheel.
16. The roller as claimed in claim 13, wherein the weight block
includes an axial hole therethrough, and the rear shaft extending
through the shaft hole in one of the rear wheels and the rear hole
in one of the mounting pieces then extends through the axial hole
of the weight block and further extends through the rear hole in
the other mounting piece and the shaft hole in the other rear
wheel.
17. The roller as claimed in claim 14, wherein the weight block
includes an axial hole therethrough, and the rear shaft extending
through the shaft hole in one of the rear wheels and the rear hole
in one of the mounting pieces then extends through the axial hole
of the weight block and further extends through the rear hole in
the other mounting piece and the shaft hole in the other rear
wheel.
18. The roller as claimed in claim 15 further comprising a
protective cover covering the connecting piece of the bracket.
19. The roller as claimed in claim 16 further comprising a
protective cover covering the connecting piece of the bracket.
20. The roller as claimed in claim 17 further comprising a
protective cover covering the connecting piece of the bracket.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to Taiwan patent
applications No. 101221713, filed Nov. 9, 2012, and No. 101223356,
filed Dec. 3, 2012, which are incorporated herein by reference in
their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an abdominal exercise
device, and more particularly to an abdominal exercise device that
allows a user to exercise comfortably and steadily.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] An abdominal exercise device is used to train the abdominal
muscles of a user. With reference to FIG. 6, a conventional
abdominal exercise device comprises a kneeling pad and a roller 40.
The kneeling pad includes a flat top surface. The roller 40
includes a wheel 41 with a handle 42 through the wheel 41. The
roller 40 is movable relative to the kneeling pad by the rotation
of the wheel 41. In use, a user kneels on the kneeling pad and
holds the handle 42 to repeatedly move the roller 40 forward and
backward, thereby allowing the user to exercise the abdominal
muscles.
[0006] However, when the user exercises for a long duration, the
user's knees may feel numbness or pain because the kneeling pad is
not ergonomic. Therefore, the user is less willing to continue to
exercise.
[0007] In addition, the roller 40 includes only one wheel 41 such
that balanced performance of the roller 40 is poor. When the user
applies unequal forces to opposite ends of the handle 42, the
roller 40 is easily turned over. Accordingly, the user cannot fully
concentrate on the exercise but must pay attention to both hands to
keep the body balanced, thus reducing the effect of exercise on the
abdominal muscles.
[0008] To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides
an abdominal exercise device to mitigate or obviate the
aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention provides an abdominal exercise device
that allows a user to exercise comfortably and steadily.
[0010] An abdominal exercise device in accordance with the present
invention comprises a kneeling pad and a roller. The kneeling pad
includes a top surface and two spaced apart kneeling recesses. The
kneeling recesses are formed in the top surface of the kneeling
pad. The roller includes a bracket, a left handle, a right handle,
a front wheel and two rear wheels. The left and right handles are
attached to a middle of the bracket. The front wheel is rotatably
mounted on a front of the bracket. The rear wheels are rotatably
mounted on a rear of the bracket. When in use, the roller is
positioned movably relative to the kneeling pad by the rotation of
the front and rear wheels. A user kneels on the kneeling pad and
holds the handles to repeatedly move the roller forward and
backward, thereby allowing the user to exercise the abdominal
muscles. The kneeling recesses are ergonomically designed to
correspond to contours of the human knees, thereby providing a
comfortable support for the user's knees. The user's knees do not
feel numbness or pain when the user exercises for a long duration,
therefore encouraging the user to continue to exercise. In
addition, the three wheels ensure that the roller has good balanced
performance such that the user can steadily operate the roller. The
roller is not easily turned over when the user applies unequal
forces to the left and right handles. The user can concentrate on
the exercise and does not need to pay attention to keep the body
balanced, thus enhancing the effect of exercise on the abdominal
muscles.
[0011] Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is an operational side view of an abdominal exercise
device in accordance with the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a kneeling pad of the
abdominal exercise device in FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a roller of the abdominal
exercise device in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the roller of the
abdominal exercise device in FIG. 3;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a top view of the roller of the abdominal exercise
device in FIG. 3; and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional roller in
accordance with the prior art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] With reference to FIG. 1, an abdominal exercise device in
accordance with the present invention comprises a kneeling pad 10
and a roller 20.
[0019] With reference to FIG. 2, the kneeling pad 10 is cuboid
shaped and includes a top surface, a bottom surface, two kneeling
recesses 11 and a plurality of decorative projections 12. The
kneeling recesses 11 are formed in the top surface of the kneeling
pad 10. The kneeling recesses 11 are elongated and are spaced apart
and parallel to each other. The kneeling recesses 11 are
ergonomically designed to correspond to contours of the human
knees, thereby providing a comfortable support for a user's knees.
The decorative projections 12 extend from portions of the top
surface of the kneeling pad 10 in which the kneeling recesses 11
are not formed. Preferably, the kneeling pad 10 is made of foam
plastic.
[0020] At least one receiving recess may be formed in the bottom
surface of the kneeling pad 10 for storing the disassembled
components of the roller 20. A bottom panel may be detachably
attached to the bottom surface of the kneeling pad 10 to prevent
the stored components from falling off
[0021] When in use, the roller 20 is positioned movably in front of
and relative to the kneeling pad 10. With reference to FIGS. 3, 4
and 5, the roller 20 includes a bracket 21, a left handle 22, a
right handle 22A, a front wheel 23, two rear wheels 24, a weight
block 25 and a protective cover 26. The bracket 21 has two mounting
pieces 211, a connecting piece 212, a left bolt 213 and a right
bolt 213A. The mounting pieces 211 are spaced apart and parallel to
each other. Each mounting piece 211 has a top, a front portion, a
middle portion and a rear portion. The connecting piece 212 has two
sides connected to the tops of the two mounting pieces 211. The
left and right bolts 213, 213A extend leftward and rightward from
the middle portions of the mounting pieces 211 respectively. The
left bolt 213 is left-threaded. The right bolt 213A is
right-threaded.
[0022] The left and right handles 22, 22A are symmetrically
attached to the middle portions of the mounting pieces 211 of the
bracket 21. Each of the left and right handles 22, 22A has a rod
221, 221A and a protective sleeve 222, 222A. The rod 221, 221A has
a threaded hole 2211, 2211A therethrough. The threaded hole 2211 in
the left handle 22 is a left-threaded hole. The threaded hole 2211A
in the right handle 22A is a right-threaded hole. The left-threaded
hole 2211 in the left handle 22 is screwed onto the left-threaded
left bolt 213 of the bracket 21. The right-threaded hole 2211A in
the right handle 22A is screwed onto the right-threaded right bolt
213A of the bracket 21. The left and right handles 22, 22A can be
rotated in the same direction to attach to the bracket 21 because
the left and right handles 22, 22A have the left-threaded and
right-threaded holes 2211, 2211A for respective threaded engagement
with the left-threaded left bolt 213 and right-threaded right bolt
213A of the bracket 21. Accordingly, the left and right handles 22,
22A can be rotated in the same reverse direction to detach from the
bracket 21. The protective sleeve 222, 222A is mounted on the rod
221, 221A. Preferably, the protective sleeve 222, 222A is made of
foam plastic.
[0023] The front wheel 23 is rotatably mounted between the front
portions of the mounting pieces 211 of the bracket 21. The front
portion of each mounting piece 211 has a front hole 2111 therein.
The front holes 2111 of the two mounting pieces 211 are in
alignment with each other. The front wheel 23 has a shaft hole 231.
A front shaft 232 sequentially extends through the front hole 2111
in one of the mounting pieces 211, one of two front retaining rings
233, the shaft hole 231 in the front wheel 23, the other front
retaining ring 233 and the front hole 2111 in the other mounting
piece 211. The front shaft 232 has two threaded holes 2321 at its
opposite ends. Two front screws 234 are threaded into the threaded
holes 2321 in the front shaft 232 respectively. Each front screw
234 has a head 2341 to press against an outer surface of the
mounting piece 211.
[0024] The rear wheels 24 are rotatably and symmetrically mounted
on the rear portions of the mounting pieces 211 of the bracket 21.
The rear portion of each mounting piece 211 has a rear hole 2112
therein. The rear holes 2112 of the two mounting pieces 211 are in
alignment with each other. Each rear wheel 24 has a shaft hole 241.
A rear shaft 242 sequentially extends through the shaft hole 241 in
one of the rear wheels 24, one of two rear outer retaining rings
243, the rear hole 2112 in one of the mounting pieces 211, the rear
hole 2112 in the other mounting piece 211, the other rear outer
retaining ring 243 and the shaft hole 241 in the other rear wheel
24. The rear shaft 242 has two threaded holes 2421 at its opposite
ends. Two rear screws 245 are threaded into the threaded holes 2421
in the rear shaft 242 respectively. Each rear screw 245 has a head
2451 to press against an outer surface of the rear wheel 24.
[0025] The weight block 25 is rotatably mounted between the rear
portions of the mounting pieces 211 of the bracket 21. Preferably,
the weight block 25 is made of marble. The weight block 25 is
cylindrical and has an axial hole 251 therethrough. The rear shaft
242 extending through the shaft hole 241 in one of the rear wheels
24, one of the rear outer retaining rings 243 and the rear hole
2112 in one of the mounting pieces 211 then extends through one of
two rear inner retaining rings 244, the axial hole 251 of the
weight block 25 and the other rear inner retaining ring 244 and
further extends through the rear hole 2112 in the other mounting
piece 211, the other rear outer retaining ring 243 and the shaft
hole 241 in the other rear wheel 24. Both the rear wheels 24 and
the weight block 25 are mounted on the bracket 21 by the rear shaft
242.
[0026] The protective cover 26 covers the connecting piece 212 of
the bracket 21. Preferably, the protective cover 26 is made of foam
plastic.
[0027] With reference to FIG. 1, in use, a user 30 kneels on the
kneeling pad 10 and holds the left and right handles 22, 22A to
repeatedly move the roller 20 forward and backward, thereby
allowing the user to exercise the abdominal muscles. The kneeling
recesses 11 of the kneeling pad 10 are ergonomically designed to
correspond to contours of the human knees such that the user's
knees do not feel numbness or pain when the user 30 exercises for a
long duration, thereby encouraging the user to continue to
exercise. In addition, the three wheels 23, 24 ensure that the
roller 20 has good balanced performance such that the user 30 can
steadily operate the roller 20. The roller 20 is not easily turned
over when the user 30 applies unequal forces to the left and right
handles 22, 22A. The user 30 can concentrate on the exercise and
does not need to pay attention to keep the body balanced, thus
enhancing the effect of exercise on the abdominal muscles.
Furthermore, the weight block 25 also prevents the roller 20 from
turning over, thereby facilitating the operation of the roller
20.
[0028] Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the
present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description,
together with details of the structure and features of the
invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made
in the details, especially in matters of shape, size and
arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the
full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in
which the appended claims are expressed.
* * * * *